Ron DeSantis Appeals Against School Mask Ruling

Ron DeSantis
Ron DeSantis

Ron DeSantis, the governor of Florida, has appealed the ruling by a judge which said that his mask ban in schools was exceeding his authority. Governor DeSantis had ordered schools to not impose strict requirements for masks on students as a way of combatting the coronavirus surge.

Ron DeSantis Refuses To Give Up

The lawyers of the governor took the case to Tallahassee’s 1st Appeal District Court on Thursday. Ron DeSantis wants the decision taken last week to be reversed. The ruling was passed by John C. Cooper, a Judge from the Circuit of Leon County. The ruling gave the 67 boards for schools in Florida the power of imposing mask mandates on students without requiring parental consent. The appeal automatically stayed the ruling by Cooper.

Republican Ron DeSantis said earlier in the week that he has confidence that the victory will go to the state on appeal. The appeal has linked the order for mask mandates to the Rights law in the Bill for Parents. The governor claimed that the law gives parents the power to look after the health and education of their children.

However, Cooper had discovered that this law did not include any actions taken by the government that has been deemed necessary for public health. The actions must also have a limited scope and be reasonable. Issuing a mask mandate, according to the judge, satisfied the criteria.

Education officials of the state and Ron DeSantis have warned that financial penalties may be imposed on boards that enforce mask mandates. They have said that the mask mandates must give parents a chance to decide otherwise. So far, salaries for Broward and Alachua counties’ members of the school boards have been withheld. 13 boards have voiced their willingness to issue mask mandates while defying the orders of the governor.